Midtown nightclub accused of discriminatory practices (Houston, Howe: casinos, living, law)

[lipbalm]

A lot of midtown has this douchebaggy vibe with guys that dress like this, but I would not call it racisim

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by curbur

So I used to take care of myself but I've kinda let myself go sadly the past 3-4 years, long story short I'm a little pudgy, and my wardrobe is outdated and doesn't fit me well at all, and I was able to get into Gaslamp in July first time going there in years wearing khaki shorts and a t-shirt that didn't really fit. I'm sure the fact that I'm white and look well-to-do has nothing to do with it.. On another occasion there (years ago), I've had a very well-dressed friend who was black get denied entry, and it was a huge group of 5 girls and 3 guys, everyone got in fine except him and he was the only black guy, despite the fact that he was pretty well dressed and has the physique of a body builder. Perhaps it's circumstantial, but it certainly doesn't seem so if you go down and experience it for yourself. While we're on the subject, I've also seen some discrimination at Red Door.

I went in there a few months after they opened with a couple of beer-drinking friends of mine from the suburbs (I can walk there), we all were dressed casually, and I am nothing to look at, and we all got in without an issue. I do have to say though, the seating sucked because all of it was reserved, but there was nobody there almost. ?? We left to some other club, I forget. We are all married, all with children, but we would not go into a club with all just guys, we "still" wanted to go to a place where the good looking women were... so the desire to go to certain club still exists, regardless of age, ethnicity, and the club owners KNOW THIS. That is why they control who goes in, not racism. The owners already said why they charge cover... if you don't bring women with you, pay a cover. No one wants a sausage fest unless they want a sausage fest.

[theone33]

Let's not forget this murder that stemmed from the Midtown establishment Gaslamp.

Man charged in stabbing death during argument at Upper Kirby apartments | News - Home

[KerrTown]

Originally Posted by 3shipguy

I love the: "Do you have a second ID?" line they sometimes ask. This happened to a lot of my out-of-state friends. Who carries two forms of ID?

I think the bouncers were referring to their passports.

[3shipguy]

Originally Posted by KerrTown

I think the bouncers were referring to their passports.

Why? Do you carry your passport when you go clubbing?

[theone33]

Just in case anyone still thinks minorities are imagining things and pulling the race card about this place.

https://www.reddit.com/r/houston/com...t_door_policy/

[naadarien]

Originally Posted by LocalPlanner

It is important to the business model of this establishment that young pretty Anglo ladies feel comfortable - they are THE key clientele. How can you expect them to feel comfortable when they would have to share space with, and possibly even be talked to by, a bunch of men whose ethnicity and physical shape are not similar to the sorority / fraternity parties they hung out at in UT Austin, LSU etc.? How is the club supposed to make money otherwise? Sheesh people. (/s, well sort of, OK not really.)

Despite the sarcasm (or maybe because of :-D ), this is absolutely correct.

If any of these young ladies were looking for non-anglo guys, they wouldn't be at this club. Just saying...

[bayou_boy]

Do people really believe this bar and other bars in Midtown aren't discriminating? It's not about $20, its about charging certain groups and not others. It's always amusing when people make excuses for these places and the "go somewhere else" doesn't fly. Why should people let these bars get away with treating people this way?

If we all just went "somewhere else" and ignore the foolishness, what kind of city would Houston be which is the most diverse city in the country at that... please!

[LocalPlanner]

Originally Posted by bayou_boy

Do people really believe this bar and other bars in Midtown aren't discriminating? It's not about $20, its about charging certain groups and not others. It's always amusing when people make excuses for these places and the "go somewhere else" doesn't fly. Why should people let these bars get away with treating people this way?

If we all just went "somewhere else" and ignore the foolishness, what kind of city would Houston be which is the most diverse city in the country at that... please!

What you are not getting, young man, is that these places MAKE MONEY by catering to the tastes of young pretty Anglo women, who don't want to be someplace where there's the risk of being talked to by Asians / Blacks / Hispanics. These venues are trying to make them comfortable and reproduce the environment they had in college at sorority / fraternity events, but in a more glamorous and upscale form. And these young ladies appreciate that very much, which is why they show up, which means that young Anglo men with the financial means to impress those ladies also show up.

As long as young pretty Anglo ladies prefer this sort of setup, then these types of venues will thrive.

[War Beagle]

Pretty young Anglo women often require certain conditions to feel comfortable. And pretty young Anglo women attract high-spending young Anglo men like nobody's business. Lose the young pretty Anglo women, lose your revenue. So what's a club owner supposed to do when the stereotypical "pack of Asians" shows up? Just let them in? We all know how this works.

First of all, this is stereotyping. But that is fine because stereotypes spring from observed behaviors (and because we are stereotyping whites). That said, I don't think it is unreasonable for "pretty young Anglo women" to feel comfortable. Anglo cultural norms are different than black, Hispanic or Asian cultural norms. From what I have witnessed over the years, black and Hispanic males tend to be more aggressive and persistent in trying to pick up women in bars. Maybe its that cultural norm that makes them uncomfortable rather than skin color.

What you are not getting, young man, is that these places MAKE MONEY by catering to the tastes of young pretty Anglo women, who don't want to be someplace where there's the risk of being talked to by Asians / Blacks / Hispanics. These venues are trying to make them comfortable and reproduce the environment they had in college at sorority / fraternity events, but in a more glamorous and upscale form. And these young ladies appreciate that very much, which is why they show up, which means that young Anglo men with the financial means to impress those ladies also show up.

I personally think sororities and fraternities are possibly the dumbest thing ever. However, clearly there is a market for this type of experience for post graduate 20-somethings. As long as the club is restricted access and not open to the public at large, I see no problem with how people choose to associate with one another. The same would be true for a private club for blacks, gays or any other group that wants to associate with certain people.

In my mind, its much more dangerous for the government to choose who people will or will not associate with than it is for some stupid frat/sororstitute bar to prevent access to what they consider undesirables. I'm a white guy and there is no way they would let me in.